Story+1999-09-01+Washington,+DC

”I can feel the spirit.....I can feel the spirit possessing me tonight.....it’s not the ghost of Elvis, no, it’s uh....not the ghost of James Brown, no, it’s uh.....it’s the ghost of uh.....of, uh.....the ghost of, uh.....Tom Jones.....Max !....thank you baby (sings ‘It’s Alright’ and ‘Take Me to the River’) that’s right....that’s where I want to go.....to the riverside....to the river of life....the river of love....the river of friendship....the river of sexual healing....and compassion.....but I found myself......as a young man ..... standing before a dark grove of trees....frightened to pass through those trees....even though I knew that the river of life was waiting on the other side....and I stood there paralyzed.....and then I saw a light.....in the trees just in front of me...... and I stepped forward..... and there was a gypsy woman....who else? (chuckles)......sitting in front of a .....Mercedes Benz with a door open.....and I stepped to her and..... and I told her my problem that I wanted....that I knew that life was waiting for me......but that I was frightened to move.....through the forest.....and she said ‘That’s because everyplace you walk, you walk alone....Mr.Independence !.....you can’t get there alone....you gotta have help.....what you need.....you need is a band, son’....so I’d like to introduce .....the Dean of the University of musical perversity..... Director of Intelligence...... Professor Roy Bittan on the piano.... Secretary of soul and friendship, keeper of all things righteous on E Street...... Little Steven Van Zandt on the guitar….with me at the river-side....now I’d like to introduce to you (?) funk man that put the foundation and creation...... Mr.Garry W.Tallent on the bass guitar....with me at the riverside ..... I´d like to introduce the Minister of big beat, the Mighty Max Weinberg on the drums .....standing with me at the riverside..... the Secretary of heart and spirit, the Godfather of the guitar, Mr.Nils Lofgren.....with me at the riverside....the Minister of mystery and all that is unfathomable in life...... Phantom Dan Federici on the organ ….brunettes are fine, blondes are fun but when it comes to getting a dirty job done, it takes a (crowd : ‘Red Headed Woman’) yeah man I’ve got to have a (crowd : ‘Red Headed Woman’) oh man I’m searching for a (crowd : ‘Red Headed Woman’) I said I’ve got to find a (crowd : ‘Red Headed Woman’) yeah now I´m looking for my (crowd : ‘Red Headed Woman’) oh, said I’ve got to find a (crowd : ‘Red Headed Woman’) the First Lady of love and sweet harmony..... on the guitar Miss Patti Scialfa ....now like I said last night..... I don’t usually like to do any presidential endorsements.....but there’s a man in the room tonight that I’ve got to stand up for.... if you been stigmatised, factionalised, fractionalised, pass-that-tax-cut-to-the-rich-Republicanized, it’s not too (?), it’s not too late to repent your evil ways right now..... you can save yourself still.....I nominate for the greatest office in the land.....drugs he’s done, sex he’s had and he plays better saxophone....do I have to say his name ? .....”
 * 01/09/99 Washington D.C, middle of ‘Tenth Avenue Freeze Out’:**

”This is for, uh.....David.....David Wiley, if you’re out there, this is for you.....”
 * 01.09.99 Washington D.C, intro to ‘The Ghost of Tom Joad’:**

”Gonna do this song tonight for, uh.....my friend Bobby Muller.....he was the first guy I ever played this song for....met Bobby in, uh.....1981.....he was the President of the Vietnam Veterans of America....this is for you, Bobby....”
 * 01.09.99 Washington D.C, intro to ‘Born in the U.S.A’:**

‘‘Washington D.C !….but everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve seen people lost in confusion, many people in this town lost in confusion....I’ve seen people lost in the wilderness, many people here lost in the wilderness..... I’ve seen people lost in bitterness, many people lost in bitterness here.....but I’m here tonight on a search-and-rescue mission ....I’m here tonight on a search-and-rescue mission....I’m coming to get you .....I’m sane, I’ve been trained and I can tell you for truth I’ve done no cocaine ! ....haven´t done any....I would if I wanted to.....I still might....but I haven’t done any yet.....but I’m here tonight to resuscitate you, to regenerate you, to recombobolate you, to reconfiscate you, to reindoctrinate you, to resexualate you, to rededicate you, to reliberate you with the power, with the promise, with the majesty, with the mystery, with the ministry of rock’n’roll !….that´s my purpose !….that´s why I’m here !…. and I wanna know, I wanna know, I wanna know….if your heart has bad credit, it’s good here, if your soul’s running on empty, gonna fill it up, if your spirit’s bankrupt, we’re gonna lift that debt up off you, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh….I know, I know, I know you´re worried about Y2K-problem, Millenium fever, stocks up, bonds down…. mortality….is rearing its ugly head….well, unlike my competitors, I cannot, I cannot, I cannot, I cannot promise you life everlasting but I can promise you life…right now! ….all you´ve got to do is say ‘I’ ”
 * 01.09.99 Washington D.C, middle of ‘Light of Day’ **

//Compiled by : Johanna Pirttijärvi//